


The Greatest Time of Year

by InternetAddict104



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:35:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29145291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InternetAddict104/pseuds/InternetAddict104
Summary: December is a rough month for Luke, but Julie wants to try and change that
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters
Kudos: 11





	The Greatest Time of Year

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on my tumblr (see end note for more info)  
> This is my first ever post on ao3 so sorry if I’ve done anything wrong or it’s formatted weird I’m still learning   
> Also I’m really bad at titles and summaries sorry

The entire month of December Luke is different. He’s more quiet, reserved, into himself (not in a narcissistic way, more like he’s retreated into himself). He pretends not to notice how Alex and Reggie stare at him with pity, or how they stop Julie from mentioning his change in demeanor. He disregards his fellow ghosts’ attempts to cheer him up, to distract him from himself. 

Usually when Luke is upset he laser-focuses on music, whether it be writing new songs or analyzing the lyrics and melody of another artist’s. But he can’t do that in this case. That would only make things worse.

After a few weeks of Luke being shut down, Julie catches him in her room. He knows he’s violating her privacy, but he just couldn’t help himself. It’s not like he was snooping around either, he was just subtly torturing himself by staring at all the family photos Julie has on display.

Family photos that capture great memories. Family photos that show a happy family. Family photos that make Luke die inside (ironically). He can tell the smiles on the Molina’s faces are genuine, not like the photos in his house. The Patterson family photos show smiling faces as well, but their smiles are obviously fake. It’s clear that Luke’s father is only doing it to please his wife, whose face is contorted in such a way that it looks pleasantly happy on the surface but if you actually take more than a passing glance you’ll notice the pain and anger carved into every feature. Luke isn’t even trying to hide his disdain, a closed-lip half smile only conjured up from the threat of his beloved guitar being sold.

When Julie sees him staring at her favorite photo, the photo of her mother and her as a child, she doesn’t say anything. She figures he just misses his parents just as she misses her mom. She understands, and so gives him a sympathetic smile when he finally loses the staring contest with the photo and sees her. Julie thinks she’ll be able to help him by talking, but no sooner does she open her mouth does Luke vanish, likely to the studio.

The next few days Julie barely sees Luke. Not because he’s fading away, but because he keeps zapping out of the room as soon as she walks in. She lets it slide at first, thinking he’s just really embarrassed about the photo incident, but when he dips in the middle of rehearsal, she decides enough is enough. Something’s upsetting her friend and she has to find out what. Especially if it’s causing him to avoid her.

Luke doesn’t think much of skipping out of practice. He knows Alex and Reggie would understand, and they’d help Julie to do the same. December practices were the only ones Luke wasn’t 1000% in, and they usually ended early because he would leave. Obviously he felt bad, but he couldn’t help it, Christmastime made him emotional.

Luke had decided to take a walk to try and clear his head. He wasn’t focused on anything and so didn’t realize where he was going until he was there. In the Patterson living room. The house is barely decorated for Christmas, just a few strings of lights and garland on the walls. He wondered why, considering it was just days before the holiday. He slowly checks the rest of the house, wondering where all the decorations are when he comes to a door. It’s locked, but that doesn’t faze Luke as he simply fazes through the door himself.

His bedroom is the exact same as he left it that night he ran out. His bed still half made, a pile of once neatly folded laundry thrown onto desk chair in the corner. His closet doors are even still open, Luke not having bothered to close them when he grabbed some clothes after storming away from his mother’s yelling.

It’s too much for Luke. Knowing his parents kept everything he had exactly as he left it, 25 years later, was too much. Realizing that his parents stopped celebrating Christmas because he left right before was too much.

Without thinking, he poofs back into the studio, where he’s alone with his thoughts.

It’s only when he grabs his guitar and it gets a little stuck on the stand does he notice.

Red tinsel is wrapped loosely around the guitar and stand (which is why the guitar won’t move), gold tinsel is wrapped around chair legs and the keyboard stand. A tabletop Christmas tree sits bare on the coffee table while a large blanket with Santa’s face on it drapes over the back of the couch. Each mic stand has paper snowflakes taped to them. A soft golden glow emanates from the lights that are now on the stairs. The piano has some candy canes and stuffed toys from the old Rudolph movie on it. 

“Alex and Reggie told me what happened,” Luke turns at the sound of Julie’s soft voice.

She stands in the doorway, a Santa hat on her head and her hands loosely folded, like she doesn’t know what to do with them. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She steps closer to Luke.

He looks down at his guitar, “I don’t know. It just didn’t seem important, I guess.” 

“Luke…” She trails off.

Luke stares at his fingers as they brush over the tinsel while they stand in silence. Luke could feel Alex and Reggie’s presence after a moment. He doesn’t acknowledge them. 

“Hey, man, listen,” Alex says gently, “we’re sorry if we overstepped, but Julie was worried about you and we couldn’t lie to her.”

“Yeah, we know this isn’t a great time of year for you, but we’re all here for you, buddy.” Reggie says.  
Luke gives a small smile as he looks at his friends. They’re all dressed like Christmas. They each had a Santa hat on, but Reggie also has on a red shirt he found who-knows-where, and Alex is using a comically long piece of red garland as a boa.

“We thought maybe we could do a little celebrating, just us. Just the good stuff.” Julie speaks it as a statement, but it has a hint of a question to it.

Luke says nothing, but he nods.

Luke’s smile turns big and genuine as Alex places a fourth Santa hat on his head. Reggie sticks a glittery snowflake to Luke’s chest like a pin.

The four of them sit around the coffee table when Luke finally speaks.

“Why’s the tree bare?”

“Oh,” Julie smirks as she reaches under the table, “I figured you’d want to help us with that. After all, it’s the best part of Christmas decorating!”

She places a medium sized box Luke wonders how he missed seeing on the table. Opening it, she reveals to the boys a bunch of miniature ornaments. They all ooh and ahh as they examine each one, trying to find the perfect ornaments to put on the tree.

Luke finds his first. It’s a small wooden star with music notes painted on it. Julie nods at him and they all watch as Luke puts the first ornament on the tree.

When the tree is decorated to their satisfaction, Julie points to the white gold star standing on its own.

“Luke, why don’t you put the topper on?”

He does so as Alex and Reggie clap.

“Wow,” Reggie says, staring at the tree.

Luke says nothing but agrees with him. He thinks it’s the best, most beautiful tree he’s ever seen on the best, most beautiful Christmas he’s ever had.

Julie goes over to her piano and the opening melody to “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” fills the room. Luke begins to sing and the rest of the band soon join in. Eventually it turns into a full on jam session, with the entire band singing and playing their instruments to various Christmas songs. Julie even teaches the boys some songs from after they died, Luke’s favorite being “Greatest Time of Year”.

Luke was feeling so giddy he didn’t even notice Julie deliberately avoided playing songs about missing someone during the holidays. 

They end the night by cuddling on the couch and watching Christmas movies on Julie’s laptop. By the end of the fifth movie everyone is struggling to stay awake.   
Just before he falls asleep, Luke whispers, “Merry Christmas guys. I love you.”

He barely registers the “Merry Christmas, love you too” he gets from his friends in response.

It’s the first Christmas he’s celebrated in more than two decades, and it’s the best Christmas he’s ever had.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow my tumblr??? Toomanyfandomstoolittletime


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